Killer Psyche

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong speaks with legal analyst Josh Ritter to discuss the polarizing trial of Karen Read, who stands accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022. The case made its way into national headlines when both sides put forward two completely different theories of what happened to John. Prosecutors believe Karen ki...

In the second half of this two-part episode, retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong speaks with Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist and one of the world’s foremost experts on serial killers. In her book, Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer , Katherine details her years-long correspondence with Rader and what she learned about...

In the first half of this two-part episode, retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the case of Dennis Rader, also known as BTK. Over 17 years, Rader tortured and murdered 10 people, while playing a game of cat and mouse with law enforcement and the media. Candice digs into how one of the most infamous killers in history, was able to mask himself as loving father, church gr...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the case of Dennis Nilsen. Between 1978 and 1983, Nilsen preyed on the homeless and gay communities of London, murdering 15 people in his home. Candice dives into Nilsen’s isolated and lonely childhood, and the intense desire for love that led him to kill. Need more Killer Psyche? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive episodes, early access...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into the case of Matthew Milat. In his early teen years, Matthew harbored an unhealthy obsession with his uncle -- Ivan Milat, the notorious "Backpack Murderer" of Australia. In 2010, Matthew decided to follow in Ivan's footsteps by killing his own friend. Candice explores Matthew's descent into idolizing his murderous uncle, and how a se...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the case of Belinda Van Krevel. After enduring a childhood of alleged abuse – and her brother’s eventual spiral into violence and imprisonment – she orchestrated the murder of her father, whom she blamed for her brother’s downfall. Candice dives into this troubled family, and how Belinda took matters into her own hands. Need more Kill...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the case of Stephen Griffiths. Between 2009 and 2010, Griffiths killed and cannibalized women in the West Yorkshire, England town of Bradford. His unusual weapon of choice – a crossbow – earned him the nickname “The Crossbow Cannibal.” Candice digs into the troubled mind of Griffiths, and how his fascination with death and murder ma...

For more than 20 years, bestselling author and investigative journalist M. William Phelps has been immersed in the world of true crime. As the host of the podcast Paper Ghosts , he seeks answers in unsolved cases. And in his podcast Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps , he sheds light on stories of the missing and murdered from the past – and the present. In today’s Headlines , Phelps joins C...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong walks us through the case of Nancy Brophy. Brophy was a romance novelist who murdered her husband Daniel at the culinary institute where he worked in 2018. Though it appeared that she and her husband had a good relationship and were said to be a loving couple, Brophy's elaborate plot showed signs that she had been planning his murder for years...

In today’s  Headlines , Candice is joined by novelist Heidi Tretheway, who was formerly a member of Brophy's writing group, and currently hosts the new Wondery limited series  Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy . Together, they discuss possible reasons why Brophy committed such a horrible crime, and take a closer look at her behavior before and after the murder. To hear more about the Na...

In 2022, after the sudden death of her husband, Utah mother Kouri Richins released a children’s book about coping with grief. But shortly after the book garnered national attention, Kouri was charged with murder. Prosecutors say that she intentionally killed her own husband, but she claims she is innocent. Just a few weeks ago, Kouri’s attorneys withdrew from her case – and with her newly made pub...

During the 1980s, women in South Florida were terrorized by a prolific serial rapist. Victims reported a man sneaking into their homes at night and assaulting them while covering their faces with a pillowcase. They called him “The Pillowcase Rapist,” and after over 40 assaults, he vanished, until over 30 years later, when a stroke of luck led police to the culprit: Robert Koehler. In today’s Headl...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong breaks down the seminal case of John Wayne Gacy. Known as the "Killer Clown," Gacy murdered thirty-three boys and young men, burying the majority of them under his house. Candice digs into Gacy's abusive childhood, a domineering father and internalized homophobia to understand how he became one of the most famous serial killers of all time. Ne...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into the case of Paul Michael Stephani, also known as the “Weepy-Voiced Killer.” A serial murderer who terrorized women around St-Paul in the early 80s, Stephani got his moniker because he would place anonymous calls to the police and report his own crimes in a whiny, high-pitched, weepy voice. Was he looking to be found? Was his r...

Ethan Crumbley was just 15 years old when he was arrested for killing four students and injuring several others in a shooting at Oxford High School in 2021. When investigators learned that his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, failed to prevent the deadly actions of their son, they were charged and eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter – becoming the first parents in U.S. history to...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong walks us through the sordid case of Israel Keyes, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Though Keyes was only formally charged with one murder, he is suspected of the sexual assault and killing of eleven other victims. His ability to evade detection for years left behind a trail of unsolved murders scattered across the c...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong unearths the case of Randall Woodfield, also known as the "I-5 Killer." A former football player turned serial killer who terrorized the West Coast in the 1970s, he preyed on victims along the Interstate 5 corridor, committing a string of murders, rapes, and robberies. Despite his charming facade, Woodfield's heinous crimes shocked the nation....

The Netflix docuseries “Lover, Stalker, Killer” digs into the head-scratching story of Liz Golyar, who, for three years, fooled her ex-fling Dave into thinking that his current partner, Cari Farver, was a deranged and deadly stalker. But in reality, Liz had killed Cari. It was Liz who assumed her identity and terrorized Dave – and herself – just to get him back. In today’s Headlines , Candice and...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into the case of mass murderer Charles Roberts. In 2006, Roberts took an Amish school in Pennsylvania hostage and killed ten young girls before shooting himself. Candice explores how Charles could have gone from a devoted father of two, and loving husband, into a child murderer. Need more Killer Psyche? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive epis...

Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs deeper into the case of Paolo Macchiarini, the subject of Wondery's podcast and the new season of Peacock's TV series Dr. Death . Paolo was a star surgeon whose revolutionary development and use of synthetic windpipes was thought to put him on track to win a Nobel Prize. However, instead of helping countless lives like it promised, it was...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the tale of John Joseph Joubert, an airforce radar technician who strangled three young boys to death. Though John’s childhood was filled with loneliness and bullying, it was his obsession with old school detective magazines that fueled his fantasies of murder. Need more Killer Psyche? With Wondery+, enjoy exclus...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into John Bunting, the ring leader of the Australian Snowtown murders. Bunting recruited acolytes to help him kill those he deemed unfit to live. Bunting considered himself a vigilante for justice, but his sadistic nature and financial crimes suggest otherwise. Candice explores the psychological factors that created the monster that led o...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong walks us through the sinister activities of Sante and Kenneth Kimes, a mother-son duo whose criminal exploits shocked the nation. They were jailed for, among other crimes, the murder of 82 year old Irene Silverman in 2000, after Sante plotted to kill her to take ownership of her Upper East Side mansion. Candice explores the complicated and pot...

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into the shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco by then 17-year-old Amy Fisher, who was having an affair with Mary Jo's husband, Joey. Candice delves into Amy's troubled background and the fallout of Amy's lethal infatuation. Need more Killer Psyche? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive episodes, early access to new ones, and they’re always ad-free. St...

In the first half of this two-part episode, former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the case of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, two young men who murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks. 19-year-old Nathan and 18-year-old Richard sought to commit what they called "the perfect murder." Candice dives deep into the psyches of the two men who perpetrated one of the most sensational c...